Title
A visual system for scoring body condition of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
Abstract
A body condition score (BCS) may provide information on the health or production potential of an animal; it may also reflect the suitability of the environment to maintain an animal population. Thus assessing the BCS of Asian elephants is important for their management. There is a need for a robust BCS applicable to both wild and captive elephants of all age categories based on the minimum and maximum possible subcutaneous body fat and muscle deposits. The visually based system for scoring the body condition of elephants presented here satisfies these criteria and is quick, inexpensive, non-invasive and user-friendly in the field. The BCS scale correlates (P<0.05) with morphometric indices such as weight, girth, and skin fold measures.
Department(s)
Animal Science
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21181
Publication Date
2015
Recommended Citation
Wijeyamohan, Shanmugasundaram, Kibby Treiber, Dennis Schmitt, and Charles Santiapillai. "A visual system for scoring body condition of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)." Zoo biology 34, no. 1 (2015): 53-59.
Journal Title
Zoo biology
